By ALOM SHAHA - GUARDIAN.CO.UK
Added: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:37:47 UTC

Thanks to LWS for the link

Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, PZ Myers, James Randi … if you're a regular Cif belief reader, you'll already have spotted the pattern – these are the names of arguably the most prominent, outspoken atheists and "sceptics" in the world. There's something else you should notice – they are all white men. The atheist and sceptic movements are dominated by white men and I think this is a problem.

In a recent piece for the Guardian science blog, I highlighted the lack of high-profile women scientists on TV and why I thought it was important that this should be addressed. I was commended for this piece by many women, who felt that what I had written was important and that it was particularly powerful for having come from a man. I really don't want to come across as an Asian with a chip on my shoulder, so if you'd prefer to hear an argument from a white person about the need for the atheist movement to engage with minority groups, please stop reading now and watch this brilliant lecture by Greta Christina.

There are issues that black and Asian atheists face that white atheists do not, for example, greater pressure to adhere to the religion of the communities in which they live. Since first writing about my atheism in public, I have been contacted by a number of Asian people who don't believe in God but feel they have to carry on the pretence of being a Muslim because they genuinely fear that the consequences of "coming out" would be unbearable. They fear being ostracised from their family and friends, and "not being able to get married". Sure, there are some white people who might face these same issues, but I would suggest the problem is more widespread in, for example, some Muslim communities than in the typical readership of the Guardian.

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TAGGED: ATHEISM